069
FXAK69 PAFG 082352
AFDAFG
NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
352 PM AKDT WED APR 8 2026
SYNOPSIS
ISOLATED LIGHT SNOW AND RAIN SHOWERS IN WESTERN ALASKA WILL
GRADUALLY SHIFT EASTWARD INTO THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN INTERIOR
THROUGH TOMORROW, ALTHOUGH ACCUMULATIONS ARE LIKELY TO BE LIGHT.
AFTER A BRIEF LULL, ANOTHER SYSTEM IN THE BERING SEA WILL BRING
MORE SUBSTANTIVE PRECIPITATION CHANCES. ONCE AGAIN, RAIN AND SNOW
WILL BE POSSIBLE ON THE WEST COAST BEGINNING THURSDAY MORNING,
SPREADING INTO THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN INTERIOR BY FRIDAY
AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE HIGHEST TOTALS ARE LIKELY IN WESTERN
ALASKA, WHERE UP TO A FEW TENTHS OF AN INCH OF PRECIPITATION WILL
BE POSSIBLE. AS THE FRONT SHIFTS EAST, RAIN/SNOW WILL DIMINISH IN
COVERAGE AND INTENSITY, WITH MOST OF THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN
INTERIOR RECEIVING A TENTH OF AN INCH OR LESS OF TOTAL
PRECIPITATION. A SERIES OF ADDITIONAL FRONTAL SYSTEMS WILL MOVE
INTO THE AREA THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK.
KEY WEATHER MESSAGES
CENTRAL AND EASTERN INTERIOR...
- TEMPERATURES TREND ABOVE NORMAL BY THE END OF THE WEEK. HIGHS
RANGE FROM THE UPPER 30S TO MID 40S WITH LOWS AROUND 20 AND
COOLER TEMPERATURES AT HIGHER ELEVATIONS.
- A WEAKENING FRONT MOVES EAST INTO THE INTERIOR THROUGH THURSDAY,
PRODUCING A MIX OF SNOW AND RAIN SHOWERS DEPENDING ON ELEVATION
AND TIME OF DAY. HIGHEST COVERAGE WILL BE IN THE ELEVATED
TERRAIN OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS AND ALASKA RANGE.
- A FRONT WILL BRING LIGHT PRECIPITATION, LIKELY A MIX OF RAIN AND
SNOW, TO AREAS WEST OF THE RICHARDSON HIGHWAY ON FRIDAY.
WEST COAST AND WESTERN INTERIOR...
- A FRONT CONTINUES TO BRING A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS
THROUGH THIS EVENING WITH SNOW FAVORED AT NIGHT AND AT HIGHER
ELEVATIONS AND RAIN FAVORED FARTHER SOUTH AND AT LOWER
ELEVATIONS DURING THE DAY.
- HIGHS ARE EXPECTED TO CLIMB TO NEAR 40 IN THE INTERIOR VALLEYS
WITH VALUES MAINLY IN THE LOW 30S ALONG THE COAST AND AT HIGHER
ELEVATIONS. LOWS IN THE TEENS/20S TO LOW 30S FURTHER INLAND AS
CLOUDIER CONDITIONS RETURN.
- THE NEXT FRONTAL SYSTEM BRINGS A PERIOD OF STEADY WET SNOW TO
THE WEST COAST ON THURSDAY THAT TRANSITIONS TO AN ELEVATION
DEPENDENT RAIN/SNOW MIX ACROSS THE WESTERN INTERIOR BY FRIDAY.
SOUTHERLY WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 45 MPH ACCOMPANY THE FRONT ON
THURSDAY THEN DIMINISH THURSDAY NIGHT.
- ADDITIONAL CHANCES FOR MAINLY LIGHT SNOW CONTINUE FOR THE WEST
COAST WITH MAINLY LIGHT RAIN CHANCES FOR THE WESTERN INTERIOR.
NORTH SLOPE AND BROOKS RANGE...
- MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES AND DRY CONDITIONS WITH LIGHT WINDS WILL
CONTINUE ACROSS THE NORTH SLOPE AND BROOKS RANGE THROUGH
THURSDAY.
- A FRONTAL BOUNDARY SHIFTS EAST ON THURSDAY WITH INCREASING
SOUTHERLY WINDS ALLOWING TEMPERATURES TO RISE INTO THE 20S TO
30S ABOVE.
- OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL LIKELY STAY ABOVE ZERO FOR MOST LOCATIONS ON
THE NORTH SLOPE THROUGH THE LATTER HALF OF THE WEEK AND INTO THE
START OF NEXT WEEK.
- A LIGHT RAIN/SNOW MIX ARRIVES AT THE NORTHWEST ARCTIC COAST AND
WESTERN BROOKS RANGE THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND CONTINUES EAST
ACROSS THE NORTH SLOPE THROUGH FRIDAY.
FORECAST ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
TROUGHING DOMINATES MUCH OF MAINLAND ALASKA AND WILL GRADUALLY
SHIFT EASTWARD THROUGH THE DAY. AREAS OF LIGHT RAIN AND SNOW
SHOWERS IN THE WESTERN INTERIOR AND IN HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE
CENTRAL AND EASTERN INTERIOR WILL MOVE EASTWARD AS THIS OCCURS.
RIDGING OVER THE EASTERN BERING SEA WILL MOVE INTO WESTERN ALASKA
ON THURSDAY WITH PROGRESSIVE FLOW AND WILL ALLOW FOR DRIER AND
CLEARER CONDITIONS TO BRIEFLY TAKE HOLD AHEAD OF ANOTHER FRONTAL
SYSTEM. THIS FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL MOVE INTO WESTERN ALASKA THURSDAY
MORNING ON THE LEADING EDGE OF A SIBERIAN LOW. ALONG THE FRONT,
SNOW AND RAIN/SNOW MIX WILL BE POSSIBLE, WITH SOUTHERLY WINDS
INCREASING TO UPWARDS OF 30 MPH IN COASTAL AREAS NORTH OF THE
BERING STRAIT. AROUND ONE TO TWO TENTHS OF AN INCH OF
PRECIPITATION WILL BE POSSIBLE IN WESTERN ALASKA, WITH SOMEWHAT
HIGHER TOTALS POSSIBLE IN THE ELEVATED PARTS OF THE SOUTHERN
SEWARD PENINSULA AND THE WESTERN BROOKS RANGE. BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON
AND EVENING, THE FRONT WILL BEGIN PUSHING INTO THE
CENTRAL/EASTERN INTERIOR, WITH UP TO ABOUT A TENTH OF AN INCH
LIGHT RAIN/SNOW MIX POSSIBLE, MOSTLY IN ELEVATED AREAS. EXACT
PRECIPITATION TYPES WILL VARY DEPENDING ON THE TIME OF DAY AND
TEMPERATURES AT THOSE TIMES, WITH RAIN MORE STRONGLY FAVORED
DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS AND SNOW FAVORED DURING THE NIGHTS AND
MORNINGS.
REGARDLESS OF UPPER-LEVEL FEATURES, HEIGHT ANOMALIES AT 500 MB
WILL GENERALLY REMAIN NEAR OR ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH THE WEEKEND.
THIS WILL CORRESPOND WITH AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES THROUGH FRIDAY
GENERALLY NEAR OR SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL SOUTH OF THE BROOKS RANGE.
HIGHS WILL GENERALLY BE IN THE MID 30S TO LOW 40S IN THE INTERIOR
AND THE LOW TO MID 30S ON THE WEST COAST. ON THE NORTH SLOPE,
COLDER TEMPERATURES TODAY WILL INCREASE INTO THE 20S AND 30S IN
MOST AREAS (WITH TEENS ON THE EASTERN ARCTIC COAST) THURSDAY AND
FRIDAY.
EXTENDED FORECAST DAYS 4-7
MOVING INTO THE WEEKEND, ANOTHER SURFACE LOW WITH A FRONT ON THE
LEADING EDGE WILL MOVE INTO WESTERN ALASKA, BRINGING ADDITIONAL
SNOW, RAIN, AND SOUTHERLY WINDS. IT WILL PUSH INTO THE WESTERN
INTERIOR/WESTERN NORTH SLOPE HEADING INTO SATURDAY NIGHT AND
SUNDAY MORNING AND THE CENTRAL/EASTERN INTERIOR BY MONDAY
MORNING. AS WITH THE PRECEDING STORM, UP TO A FEW TENTHS OF AN
INCH OF TOTAL PRECIPITATION WILL BE POSSIBLE, WITH THE HIGHEST
TOTALS IN WESTERN ALASKA. YET ANOTHER FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL BE
POSSIBLE MOVING INTO THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK, WITH EVEN MORE
CHANCES FOR RAIN/SNOW MIX SPREADING INLAND INTO THE INTERIOR.
COASTAL HAZARD POTENTIAL DAYS 3 AND 4...NONE
AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
AK...NONE.
PK...BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ801-802-805-808-809-855.
BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ803-852-858.
BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ806-807-810-811-856-857.
BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ816.
BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ817.
BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ850-853.
GALE WARNING FOR PKZ851.
BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ854.
DS
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